AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She fought back a yawn, curling to her side and laying her head on her arm. She’d talk to Will about it in a little while.
For the first time since before the Screaming Peach, she really felt the solitude. Being locked in the bathroom at the hotel didn’t really count. She was realizing there was a difference between feeling alone–like she did at this moment–and feeling lonely.
She couldn’t imagine feeling lonely, as long as the team was nearby, watching out for her. But it was kind of nice to be alone for a bit.
Alone and safe was far different from alone and abandoned.
* * *
Will finished his shower with the makings of a plan. He shrugged into a new shirt and went to find Melanie. She needed to be on board with it if he was going to move forward. He wasn’t going to use her as bait, but he was definitely going to make Darkshade think there was a chance he could get to her.
“Where’s Melanie?” he asked Tank, who was fixing an entire tray of sandwiches. Will knew from experience that it might look like enough for the entire crew but it was, in fact, only what Tank had prepared for himself.
Tank looked up, a slice of cheese in each hand. “Second bedroom on the right.”
Will spoke as he walked into the bedroom. “Hey, can we–”
The sight of Melanie made him trail off. She was asleep on the twin-size bed, her soft curls splayed across the pillow. His heart tugged at the sight of her peaceful state.
He was glad she was sleeping. She’d been through a lot, and it wasn’t over yet.
He tugged a blanket from the chair in the corner of the room and laid it over her. At the contact, she rolled over, pulling the blanket around her. A wrinkle crossed her brow, and a soft whine escaped. She mumbled something. It sounded like “so sorry,” but he couldn’t be sure if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.
He waited as she settled back to sleep, feeling a bit like a creep for watching her so intently. But he couldn’t pull his eyes away. The furrowed brow finally relaxed and her peaceful expression returned.
He turned the knob and shut the door behind him as silently as he could.
When he got back to the living room, Tank was settled on the couch with his tray of sandwiches.
“Where’s Pierce?” Will asked.
“Shower,” Tank said between bites. “How’s the girl?”
Will busied himself fixing a bite to eat from the groceries Miranda had left and Tank and Pierce had purchased. It seemed like they had enough to last for a month, but Will knew it wouldn’t go far with four mouths.
“She’s asleep,” he answered, letting the simple reply disguise the unexpected depth of emotion she evoked in him.
“She’s tough.” There was more in that two-word sentence than most people would understand. Tank didn’t give compliments lightly. He chose his words carefully, knowing that they were often taken the wrong way, especially when paired with his overall demeanor.
“Yeah. She is.”
“You like her.”
Will’s hands froze, the knife halfway out of the mayonnaise. He wanted to deny it, but Tank’s comment had him curious. “What makes you say that?”
Tank shrugged, swallowed, and took a drink. “Don’t you?”
Will finished assembling the sandwich and took it with him over to the couch. “She’s…” He searched for the right word. “Intriguing,” he finally answered.
Tank gave an amused grunt, and a hint of a smile tugged on his cheek.
Will felt the need to defend his words. “Don’t you think so? Girl witnesses the president being assassinated, has the wherewithal to record it on video, and manages to get out of the place before the Secret Service finds her. She’s living in a crappy apartment, but somehow maintains her optimism. She’s been through an assassination, an explosion that was an attempt on her life, and a mad dash escape from the FBI closing in on our location. All that, and she hasn’t fallen to pieces once.”
Tank merely hummed an acknowledgment.
“I don’t know what it is, Tank. I can’t quite figure her out. Normal people would crumble under far less.”
Tank leaned back, the sofa groaning under him. “It’s almost like she’s a soldier.”
